We all probably know people – friends or family – who have fallen ill, had serious accidents or died suddenly. Even when you’re young and healthy, the chances of these things happening to you are more likely than you might think. We all dream of winning the lottery even with odds of 14 million to 1. However, when it comes to the chances of our falling ill or dying early, we believe that it will not happen to us even though the chances of that happening is significantly higher. More than 40,000 people die every year between the age 20-54. More than 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year.

Losing a family member through accident or ill health is emotionally traumatic. It can also cause enormous financial problems. Financial products are sometimes at their most useful when they are protecting our families, our incomes or our property. Whilst insuring ourselves against an undesirable event such as sickness or death may not be a pleasant thing to think about, the benefit of being able to set financial issues aside at emotionally difficult times cannot be overlooked.

There are many different ways to protect your family and your standard of living when you need it most. We give here basic information about some of the most useful and popular products.